Foundation for portable structures



M. L- CLEVETT, JR

FOUNDATION FOR PORTABLE STRUCTURES Nov. 14, .1961

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1959 INVENT OR. MERTON L.CLEVETT JR.

ATTORNEYS Filed May 20, 1959 Nov. 14, 1961 M. L. CLEVETT, JR 3,003,557

FOUNDATION FOR PORTABLE STRUCTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

INVENTOR.

ATTOR NEYS MERTON L. CLEVETT JR.

BY f W,WM

United States Patent ice D T N FOR R A LE STRU TURES Merton L. Clevett, Jr., Natick, Mass, assignor to Laconia Malleable Iron Company, Inc, Laconia, N.H.,

a corporation of New Hampshire File'd May 20, 1959, Ser. No. 814,418 1 Claim. (Cl. 189-90) T s Y n -Qn l s s n orin l sm r, em rary Or P a le t c r s n m re att wla l t a system of simplified interconnecting members forming a foundation and anchoring means for such structures.

Heretofore, the anchoring and foundation systems which have been used with portable temporary structures have been considerably more complex than the associated structures. Moreover, although portability is a function of weight and bulk the systems used in the past have been generally heavy and massive. Furthermore, the com lex and massive. schemes used hitherto are not readily adaptable to various shapes and sizes of structures. What has been required is an anchoring system which matches the structure itself in simplicity, light-weight, adaptability and reliability.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to provide a simplified foundation system for portable temporary structures. Another object of my invention is to provide a light-weight foundation system for such structures. A further object of my invention is to provide an anchoring means which is adaptable to various structures, structure configurations and dimensions. Still another object of my invention is to provide a device which is easily assembled and disassembled. A still further object of my invention is to provide a foundation means which can be fabricated economically using standard components whenever possible and the minimum number of operative elements.

A feature of the invention is the use of standard steel tubing to provide the primary members for the anchoring system. Another feature of the invention is the provision of connecting units which are fashioned from a simple casting, one end of which is placed and secured within the steel tubing with the part of the casting protruding beyond the end of the tube formed into a flattened section having extending ears on each side thereof. The inside surface of the flattened section is provided with radial grooves or serrations which correspond to the radial grooves of an identical unit turned 180 in a corresponding and connecting section of pipe. The flattened portions have holes therein which are threaded and are connected together by a triple purpose eye bolt inserted at the top of one of the connecting units. A feature of this arrangement is that the space between the grooved faces of flattened pieces permits ground anchor cables to be connected and secured therein when the eye bolt is tightened. This feature also allows adjacent lengths of tubing to assume any desired angular disposition. Another feature of the eye bolt arrangement is that it may be tightened by a simple lever or rod inserted in the eye; in fact the same tool used to insert ground anchors can be employed. The eye of the bolt serves still another function of providing means for securing structure cables to the foundation system. A still further feature of the invention are the ears extending outwardly of the flattened portion which limit any tendency for axial movement or torque of the pipe sections. Yet another feature of the invention is the use of simplified rivets extending through the steel tubing and through a hole drilled in the section of the casting inserted within the pipe. A still further feature of the invention is that the arrangement herein described permits the base to assume any configuration required, either rectangular, polygonal, trapezoidal or some irregular shape; and by shortening the size of the 3,008,557 Patented Nov. 14, 1961 2 steel tube sections the system can be made to assume even more complex configurations.

These and other objec'tsand features of the invention will best be understood frorna detailed description in which. x v FIG. .1 is a partial perspective view of a simplified foundation system assuming a polygonal form and secured to the ground by ground anchors and cables attached to the anchoringsyste'rn; 1 j n FIG Z. is apartial perspectiveview a straight sided foundation system which can be either two separate straight sides'dr. part of a larger rectangular shape;

3 is a top view partly cut away showing the con.- necting units inserted in the pipe sections; and I FIG. 4 is aside view of the connecting units used herein with anchoring cables inserted between the radially grooved flattened portions. a In each of FIGS. l and 2 an anchoring system embodying the present invention designa ted is shown securing a temporary portable structure The system 10 is connected to ground anchors 14 by ground anchor cables 16. The same numbers are used to indicate the same parts in FIGS. 1 and 2, the two figures indicating two possible applications of the anchoring system one of which takes a circular or polygonal configuration as in FIG. 1, the other, FIG. 2, showing an installation requiring a straight sided system.

The basic units of system 10 are primary elements 18 which can be made of any standard metallic tubing or pipe cut to a desired length with holes 20 being drilled near each end thereof on a diametric line of the circular cross-section. e

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a connecting unit generally designated 22 is inserted at each end of a pipe section 18. The unit 22 may be machined or cast from any suitable metal. One end "24 of this connecting unit has a substantially cylindrical configuration with a diameter dimension permitting it to make a snug fit within the interior walls of the pipe section 18. The connecting unit. 22 is secured to the pipe sections 18 by a simple rivet 28 which passes through the holes 20 in the pipe and through a .hole 30 in the cylindrical part 24 of the unit. Rivet heads 32 keep the rivet 28 in place.

A portion 26 of the connecting unit 22 extending beyond the end of pipe section 18 is flattened and also flares out to form protruding cars 34. The ear members 34 are provided to prevent axial torque or twisting of the pipe members, 18 when interconnected. They serve the additional function of better locating a section of pipe onthe ground in operative position. As shown in FIG. 4, a threaded hole 36 is provided in the flattened portion 26 of the coupling units 22 so that a threaded eye bolt 38 can connect any two pipe sections together forming a joint designated 40. The thickness of the flattened portion 26 is somewhat less than half that of the cylindrical part 24 inside the pipe-so that the combined thickness of two units with ground anchor cables 16 sandwiched therebetween is about equal to the outer diameter of the pipe 18.

The inside face 42 of the flattened outer portion 26 of a unit 22 which is adjacent the axis of the pipe section 18 is provided with radial grooves or serrations 44. When two such grooved faces 42 are placed in juxtaposition and brought together by eye bolt 38 these grooves will provide a means of gripping and securing ground anchor cables to the foundation system, or, if there are no ground anchor cables at a joint 40, the grooves 44 positively lock the joined sections in any desired angular disposition.

The assembling process is simple. Pipe sections 18 with a coupling unit 22 at each end are placed end to end with eye bolt 38 started. Ground anchors 14 are installed near each or some of the joints 40 and the cables 16 are placed 3 between the grooved faces 42. When the cables 16 are made taut, the eye bolt 38 may be tightened down thereby simultaneously securing the joint 40 and the ground anchor cables 16. The tightening process can be conveniently performed by the same pipe tool which is used to insert the ground anchors 14. Once the foundation 10 is secured at a few points to ground anchors, the various eye bolt loops 46 can receive the cables and lines from the associated structure.

Of course, there are many possible variations of the invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 only one of the connecting units 22 need have ear members 34 for each length of pipe 18.

Certain minor variations of this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art; and, therefore, it is not my intention to confine the invention to the precise form herein shown, but rather to limit it in terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described and disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Means for securing two tubular elements to each other and to the ground comprising a longitudinal member attached to a terminal end of each tube, and a horizontally extending fiat connecting member on the end of each said longitudinal member having a serrated face; said'meaus arranged in opposed relation at adjacent ends of said tubular elements with saidflat connecting members in overlapping relation and with said serrated faces facing each other; a hole receiving a threaded bolt in each said fiat connecting member with the uppermost said hole being larger than said bolt and the lower said hole being tapped and receiving said bolt in threaded engagement; a ground anchor; a cable attached to said anchor and positioned between said serrated faces whereby said connecting means and said cable cooperate mutually in the dual function of securing said tubular elements in fixed angular relation and to said ground anchor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ema 

